Used as a co-ed Turkish bath until the end of the 20th century, the Center for Contemporary Art in Plovdiv, Bulgaria is a unique space devoted to alternative art and design. But one must admit the stone and brick walls with flaking paint have a bit of a cold feel, which is why the center commissioned Studio 8 ½ to warm it up a little with an unconventional, temporary library.

Commissioned as part of the festival of “urban dreams,” the temporary library sits directly below a tall dome in the hammam’s largest room. It consists of a swirling timber platform decorated with a series of green and blue pillows, along with bookcases, magazine racks and even a desk and computer. All of the wood used in the construction was left in its natural state.

Even though the installation was left in place for just one week, an extraordinary collection of art books, multimedia, and a video archive of contemporary artists was made available during this time. The idea is to enjoy art in a different light, which the designers took seriously by adding new lighting fixtures suspended from green and blue cables. The materials are easily reused elsewhere.